Hands up to our Public Libraries!

I wanted to send a quick shout out to the Calgary Public Library for carrying Out of Play.

There is something absolutely thrilling about knowing my book baby will be sitting alongside thousands of other books, just waiting to be taken home and read. Not only is the library a magical place filled with hidden treasures, you can now drink coffee in there. I know! How great is that? They've not quite gotten around to wine, but a girl can dream :)

​I've borrowed all kinds of print books from the library, but it was just recently our family discovered AUDIO BOOKS! And yes, they are worth 'ALL CAPS' status. If you disagree, then perhaps you've not travelled any great distance with children in your car.

​The best thing about audio books (aside from reduced levels of sibling conflict) was everyone in the car enjoyed them--from ages six to forty. Again, how great is that? Here are three family-friendly audio-treasures we borrowed from the Calgary Public Library, all of which we enjoyed immensely.

​1. Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians
​This was my children's first taste of audio books and I can't say who loved it more: the kids or their dad. It's the first in a series and kept us going on a rather long journey to the west coast and back. Five stars, hands down, for humour, adventure, and interesting characters.

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​2. Al Capone Does My Shirts
​This is actually the second in a series, and our family listened to them out of order. What is SPECTACULAR about these books is very authentic character development of the main character's sister, Natalie. Natalie is a person with autism, living in 1930s USA. I highly recommend this series for children who enjoy mysteries and for parents who want to explore the themes of inclusion and diversity as a family unit.

​3. An Important Message from the Vinyl Café
​Okay, so fun! The Vinyl Café series is Canadiana storytelling at it's ultimate. Stuart McLean is my hero.

​All of these titles are available in print and audio at the Calgary Public Library and bookstores. Further, they are all series which is great for those who love to follow a set of characters from one story to the next.

​Happy listening!